LANSING – General Motors announced Thursday that it plans to expand its Lansing Grand River Assembly plant, best known for
producing the Cadillac ATS and CTS models, with a stamping plant, that would add 225,000
square feet and up to 65 new jobs.

"[General Motors is] expanding their roots here," said Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero.
"This is good news for today and will have a reverberating impact on our economy. It's good news for people looking for work and it is great news for our economy."

Pending city approval, the estimated $162 million stamping plant would
expand to possibly produce the Chevrolet Camaro – production of the muscle car
will be moved from its current home of Oshawa, Ontario – starting as soon as
2015, something that Bernero called a virtual "done deal."

"The new Chevy Camaro will be made in Lansing," Bernero said. "We're very exicted about that."

The Detroit-based automaker
acknowledges that there is a plan in place for the plant and the Camaro, but did not offer other details on Thursday.

"GM is developing a potential business case for future investment at the Lansing
Grand River Assembly Plant," Erin Davis, GM's Lansing Regional Communications
Manager, said. "That investment will
fund improvements that will strengthen the plant's manufacturing capability,
but we aren't sharing any details of that business case at this time."

The Lansing City Council will be asked to set public hearings for
proposed tax incentives on the plant next Monday as Bernero said that the city had to continue to "set the table for success" with the automaker. The Lansing Economic Area
Partnership worked with GM in coming up with the plans for the expansion.

"I see this as an affirmation of a real globally competitive environment here in Lansing provides GM," Bob Trezise, LEAP's President and CEO said. Trezise said that the project was brokered in about a month.

"Mayor Bernero always says, and LEAP believes that we move at the speed of business," Trezise added. The proposed incentives for GM include a 14-year tax break that will cover up to 50 percent of the building's taxes and a 25-year incentive on personal property taxes, depending on what happens with the state of Michigan.

"The wincing you hear is me," Bernero said. "I'm wincing from the pain of pinching myself in order to believe that this is real. Just a few years ago we were staring disaster in the face and now General Motors is fully back and their winning in Lansing, Michigan."